Apparatus for the manufacture of gas



(No Model.)

M.O.-BURT. APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS. 'N0. 418 ,550; PatentedDec. 31,1889.

witn essgsl 16 7 fi Inventor. By M :575.

UNITED S ATES PATENT OFFICE.

' MARTIN o. BURT, or LAKE VIEW, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR'THE MANUFACTURE OFGAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 418,550, dated December31, 1889.

Application filed June 19, 1889- Serial No. 314,782. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN O. BURT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lake View, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for theManufacture of Gas, of which the following is a specification.

This improvement relates to the manufacture of gas for heating andilluminating pur-.

poses by means of a current of electricity, and will be fully andclearly hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinalsection through the principal portion of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is adetached side elevation of that portion of the apparatus through which,

the electric current is transmitted to and through the retort, theretort being in section Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional elevation through aportion of Fig. 2.

In Fig. 1, I have shown an ordinary watertank 1, filled with water up toor about the point 2, more or less, in which is placed an ordinarygasometer 3, having an outlet-pipe 4 for the gas to pass through. To thepipe 5 may be attached a series of gas-burners 6, or it may lead to adistance to supply other gasburners, or for other purposes.

The oil-tank 7 is shown as a cylindrical vessel provided with aremovable top 8, secured to it by bolts a; but it may be made in anyother suitable form, and is constructed, preferably, of sheet metal orcast-iron. Between the oil-tank and the gasometer-tank is a pipe 9,rigidly secured to each, and as it passes into the oil-tank it isprovided with an elbow 10 and a vertical portion 11, projecting upthrough and above the level of the oil 12. The opposite end of the pipe9, which passes into the gaso meter-tank 1, is provided with an elbow 13and a vertical pipe 14, projecting up through the level 2 of the waterand up into the gasometer, which may be constructed in any suitable way.The object of this pipe is to receive the gas as it is generated in theoil-tank and conduct it to and into the gasometer.

The apparatus for generating the gas consists of a small retort 15 ofsome suitable materialplatinum, for instance, answers a very goodpurpose. It is rigidly secured at the bottom to the arm 16, and at thetop it is provided with a screw-cap 17, which is secured to the end ofthe arm 18 by a screw or bolt 19. (See Fig. 2.) The arm 18 is rigidlyfastened to a sleeve 20, and the arm 16 is secured rigidly in anywell-known way to the shaft 21. The arms 16 and 18 are preferably madeof copper or other good conducting material. I do not confine myself tothe precise mechanism shown for moving the retort into and out of theoil, as any well-known means may be used for this purpose. The sleeve 20is also securely fastened to the same shaft, but a suitablenon-conducting materialhard rubher, for instance-is interposed betweenit and the shaft, so that the shaft 21 and the sleeve 20 are entirelyinsulated from each other. Near the outer end of the sleeve 20 is an arm23, rigidly secured to it. At the 0pposite end of the arm 23 is pivotedby apin 24 a connecting-rod 25, having its opposite end pivoted toacrank-disk 26. (See Fig. 1.) This crank-disk 26 is mounted on a shaft27, set in hearings in the frame 28, and is connected by a train ofgearing 29, the gearing being operated by a spring constructed andarranged in any well-known way for giving a" reciprocating motion to thearm 23, and consequently the retort 15, for purposes which will be moreclearly hereinafter shown.

On the shaft 21 is secured by a key or other well-known means an arm 30,having a hook portion 31, and below the hook 31 is a cup 32, in which isplaced a quantity of mercury for forming or breaking an electric circuitby the movement of the hook in and out as the arm 30 vibrates or swingsback and forth. If required, the mercury in the cup may be dispensedwith and the hook 31 maybe made to slide close to the side of the cup asit comes down, and thus make the contact, in which case the cup 32should be made of copper or other good conducting material. The cup 32is secured to a post 33, and is connected by a wire 34 with the pole 35of an electric battery or other source of electricity. (See Fig. 1.) Thesleeve 20 and arm 18 are also connected with the battery by means of aring 36, which turns loosely on the shaft, and is provided with a wire37, which connects with the opposite pole of the battery.

The operation of the invention is as follows: Any suitable oil or liquidmaterial-petro leum, for instanceis put into the tank 7 by removing theplug 39 and then returning it after sufficient oil has been put in. Thecrankdisk 26 is then set in motion either by means of the train ofgearing 29, operated bya spring in any well-known way, or by aconnection with a steam, water, or other suitable engine for driving it.By this means the retort 15 is alternately moved into and out of theoil, and when immersed in the oil a portion of oil passes into theretort through the perforations 40, so that it carries up a portion ofoil at every upward movement. Vhen the retort leaves the oil, the arm 30at theopposite side of the shaft 21 is moving down, and the hook 31 dipsinto the mercury and completes an electric circuit, the electricitypassing from the pole 35 of the battery along the arm 30 and shaft 21,and then along the arm 16 through the platinum retort 15, then along thearm 18, sleeve 20, and from there to the ring 36 and wire 37 to theopposite pole 33 of the battery, or in lieu of the battery shown adynamo-electric machine made in any wellknown way may be used, and on alarge scale would be preferable, as being the cheapest source for theelectric current. This operation instantly heats the retort 15 to a redheat or to the required degree to decompose the oil within it andthereby form a fixed gas. By this means any degree of heat required inpractice may be given to the retort (which is comparatively very small)by increasing or diminishing the source of the electric current.

I claim as my invention In an apparatus for the manufacture of gas forilluminating or heating purposes, the combinat-ion of a vessel forholding the liquid from which the gas is made, a retort mounted onamovable frame, a means, substantially as described, for causing it tobe alternately immersed and removed from the liquid, a generator ofelectricity connected by Wires with the frame-work and retort, and ameans for forming and breaking, the electric circuit, whereby the retortas it emerges is heated sufficiently to convert the liquid carried up byit into a fixed or permanent gas, substantially as described.

MARTIN C. BURT.

\Vitnesses:

JAMES SANGSTER, ARTHUR J. SANGS'IER.

